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Saturday, May 2, 2009

Re-Built this Citi

Of course the title of the post is a play on the name of this song from the group Starship from 1985.

The Mets are on a short road trip now, a longer one later in the month, and while they're away, I have some ideas on how Fred Wilpon & Co. can vandalize Chez Amazin' to make it work better for Mets fans, along with some other random thoughts about our new ballpark.

Dave Howard did say the dark green seats came from the Polo Grounds. He lied about obstructed views, but we'll take his word on this. My dad didn't seem to remember that detail of the park where he went to see Willie Mays play in person back in the '50s (The Polo Grounds may have ever only been seen in black & white). I'm ok with that. The orange/blue/green/red scheme from Shea may not look that good at Citi Field.

Did you know that in a hockey arena, it's impossible to see the ice-side of every piece of the boards when sitting in the stands, as well as the puck or players when played on the ice against the boards? Think about it. The nature of the boards and the fact that you're always behind one side of them creates a natural obstruction. And nobody seems to complain, because the only seats that can fix that are either suites below ice level with windows into the boards, or seats vertically above the ice surface, but not sticking out over it. don't look down.I bring that up because with seats in fair territory at Chez Amazin', it stands to reason that some parts of the outfield wall would not be visible below. We've never had a lot of fair territory seats before. From the bleachers at Shea, I could not see the LF wall. I didn't complain about it. Of course, when third base or home plate are obstructed from your LF seats, that is a problem.

Now to some things we can do to fix Chez Amazin'...

Get some mets logos along the walls. Use the different logos (our version of the interlocking NY, script Mets, baseball/skyline logo, mets.com). I've seen other ballparks put the team's logo(s) around the wall and/or behind home plate. Only one needs to be inview of the TV camera behind the batter.

I've said it before, the championship banners from the Shea outfield wall should be on the wall at Citi Field. There's no real reason that they aren't there.

And I've said this before too. The Shea scoreboard skyline should be in a place where it can be seen better from the seats, rather than being stuck BEHIND the CF scoreboard

Name the bridge after Gil Hodges. I heard Howie Rose say it on WFAN the other day, and I think I've read it on a few blogs. It doesn't take much to do

Name some concession stand or area in the promenade after Shea, or after something from Shea. Having the old HR apple is good, but we want more of Shea.

Mets colors are blue and orange. We need some blue. The foul poles are orange (just like at Shea, and the only orange ones in the league). The OF wall has the orange stripe. Add some blue. It came from the dodgers, so Mr. Wilpon should be ok with it. Blue can be somewhere inside the stadium. It doesn't need to be visible on the field of play.

Name the escalators on the RF side after top Mets right fielders (Strawberry, Art Shamsky, etc.), and do the same in LF and CF. Ya, take the Mookie Wilson escalator from behind the big scoreboard up to the Excelsior level and take the Tommie Agee escalator up to the Promenade to the seats under the out of town scoreboard.

Name the patio above the Rotunda after some Mets catchers (because it's behind home plate), or even better, name it Casey Stengel Plaza (like the street name outside somewhere). How about calling it Mike Piazza?

Hang banners of Mets logos and/or Mets players and/or Mets moments inside the stadium, like we had at Shea (like what was sold from Shea). They can hang from the ceilings and stay 7 or 8 feet above ground, especially in the field level concourse, and be out of the way. Other concourses too if height permits. Don't use the tacky black and white ones either. I'll sell back the one I bought for $3,000.

Name the part of flushing bay visible from the RF seats over the LF wall after Kevin McReynolds. McReynolds cove (like McCovey cove). OK, that was pushing it.

What about a Mets Shoe-polishing stand? That would be a start.

Get a bar or bar & grill at Citi Field, one that's open to all fans after a game, and name it The Happy Recap. Make it a post-game destination, especially for those taking the train home (and not drinking and driving).

4 comments:

#10 is totally pushing it.... but perhaps they can name a bland sandwhich after McReynolds :) I like the other idea though...

I'd like them to change the video loop in the rotunda to great Mets moments and add a few of those around the stadium. I'd also like the Ebbet's Club renamed the Shea club and the Dodger Jerseys in the shops removed. Finally, have them play in the pinstripes at home (every day) and maybe it'll start feeling like the Mets playing at a Met park.

Actually... maybe if the feds nail Koosman, they'll let him do his time at a makeshift jail in Citi Field. It can be a theme for any busted ex-Met.

We can come up with all the ideas we want to Mets-up the place. We need the team's owners to listen. This is one area that the Yankees appear to have done better than the Mets. I have a friend, a Yankees fan with a Mets-fan boyfriend, who's been to at least a couple games at each park and likes Chez "100 times better".

I realize that there is now talk of building a hall of fame in the back, but this just brings more attention to the fact that this was left out and crowds an already very crowded area! Here are some ideas I have:a) I really like the rotunda, but how about calling it "The Mets Hall of Fame in Jackie Robinson Rotunda." Put the busts of the hall of fame members around the rotunda on pedestals and the two hall of fame trophies somewhere prominent as well. It might be hard to put pictures of the mets up, but perhaps some banners of our championships?

b) Also consider putting the busts throughout the hallways of the stadium on pedestals if the rotunda doesn't work. They should definitely be out somewhere!

c) There should be team pictures lining the halls/walkways.

d) Pictures of famous mets and met moments everywhere we walk!

Also, the outfield wall color is terrible. I heard you had picked black because it makes everything else look better on TV, however it really makes the stadium look depressing. Honestly, just make it the same color as the one that was at Shea (that nice Mets blue). It will look great, match the mets colors nicely with the orange stripe, and it will quiet people about the mets colors not being around!

well said Anonymous stranger (I should really force you to use an identity - you're not Howie Rose, are you?). Anything they do now, starting with Doc Gooden's signature last month, is considered "too little, too late" in my book. A new owner coming in and fixing all this may become a real Mets folk hero.

It would be a little hard to change the rotunda now, both from a physical re-construction perspective and a perception one.

maybe remove one of the clubs (and the restrictions on it) and put a Mets Hall of Fame in there (I think the Caesar's Club has a nice size). i have a few other posts along these lines, probably a few more in me yet to be written, and I have a feeling that an open letter to the New York Mets may help matters (along the lines of the one on Metsgrrl.com for the batting practice issue).